Tag Archives: Gadgets

Staged in January, CES 2019 – the world’s leading new consumer technology exhibition – threw up a number of innovations. Not all of them made headlines because they were so forward thinking, however. Some got a good deal of attention because they were, well, a little weird, such as the Korean firm, Pepe, which showcased its pet drying device. What were the other peculiar ones that attracted the most attention?

Kohler’s Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilet

Source: CNBC.com

Available in two colours, this smart toilet will be commercially available later in 2019. It features ambient lighting, Bluetooth connectivity and a sound system. What’s more, users can experience a heated seat and use voice commands to control its various functions. In fact, the intelligent toilet’s Amazon Alexa voice controls even mean you can order more loo roll while you are engaged in other activities, such as watching the latest Netflix release or playing your favourite online casino game. Will this super toilet make a big splash? Only time will tell.

Omron’s Forpheus Ping-Pong Robot

Source: Engadget

If you love table tennis but find it
hard to get someone to play with you, then this is the gadget announced at CES
2019 for you. The robotic player holds a conventional bat and gets your rally
going. Even better, you can use the ping-pong playing robot as a training tool and
adjust it to meet your standards. It will even work out weaknesses in your game
and come up with ways to help you improve – just like a real life coach.

PurrSong’s LavvieBot Smart Litter Box

Source: TechTheLead

The purr-fect solution for who keeps
cats at home but does not like the smell from the litter tray. The box gets rid
of the nastier side of keeping pets. The self-cleaning system removes the cats’
waste matter and seals it off so that you don’t have to see it or smell it. A
hopper is adding new litter automatically. After a couple of weeks, you only
need to empty the LavvieBot.

Foldimate’s Laundry Folding System

Source: Mashable

Another example of machines that are
now able to perform tasks which require a great deal of flexibility and
dexterity, Foldimate can cope with folding a wide range of clothes. Dresses,
skirts, shirts and sweaters are all neatly folded by the system. All you need
to do is to put them away in your wardrobe. If only there was a bot for that
chore, too!

LG’s Signature Series OLED TV R

Source: LG

The 65R9, to give the correct name of
LG’s latest television technology, was also unveiled at CES 2019. What is so
unusual about a TV set being launched at a tech show you may ask? Well, in the
case of this particular one, it is what it looks like when it is not in use
that makes it so novel. The TV screen rolls up on itself, a bit like an
old-fashioned projector screen, so it tucks away neatly. When you turn the set
one, the TV unfurls, supporting itself, while providing a superb quality of
image. It is aimed at places where you don’t want a screen all the time, such
as in bedrooms and in front of windows, for example.

Groove X’s Lovot Robot

Source: Shack News

Robots designed for the home are nothing new, but Groove X’s new design is there for one thing and one thing only – to make its human master happy. Somewhere between a pet and a robot, the cartoon-like design of the Lovot certainly caught the eye of many people who attended CES 2019. The idea is that you can interact with it like a pet, for example, by stroking and cuddling it. The robot is packed with high-quality tech to ensure that its cute behaviour remains up-to-scratch whenever you play with it.

Mui’s Smart Display

Source: Tech Radar

This smart device looks like it is a
short plank of wood when you first see it. This simple design belies the amount
of high-tech features it offers, however. The smart display system is touch
sensitive and can be used to show information on all sorts of subjects. You can
tap on it to get the latest weather forecasts, for instance. Alternatively, it
can be used as a thermostat for an office’s heating system. There again, the
display might be utilised to dim the lights. Highly configurable with a
distinctive look, it also responds to voice commands.

There are some inventions that have made life easier, and more convenient for everyone. Such as the invention of a casino online that cuts out all that annoying having to get dressed and drive to an actual location just to have fun. Other inventions, however, are so useless and so utterly pointless that it is a serious wonder who actually put in the time and effort to get them to a manufacturing stage. It is these nutty inventions that we are interested in today.

Why? Because, let’s just face facts, sometimes you want to switch your brain off, strap a helmet to your head, and have robot wheels attached to your feet. Does it make life easier? Not at all. Does it help you get from point A to point B? Sort of, but not really in a way that would be considered convenient. So why do they exist? Because you just switched your brain off, that’s why…

Segway Drift

Source: Segway Philippines

These are the robot wheels we were talking about. They sort of resemble rollerblades, but cost about fifty times as much. The marketing involved seems to be trying to sell them as a gadget for cool kids. But who in their right minds, cool kids included, would spend $400 on robotic rollerblades? Just about no one.

Perhaps the trend will catch on and the sidewalks will soon be populated by robotic rollerbladers. Or perhaps the Segway Drift will go the way of Google Glass. Our money’s on the latter.

The Wine Glass Necklace

Source: Hot 93.3

Have you ever been holding a glass of wine, only to think, damn, I wish I could find a place to put this glass of wine, and free up my hands to make a sandwich. You have? Great, then you probably envisioned a necklace that would hold that glass of wine. Instead of, say, a nearby table, or you know; even the floor.

This invention exists, and has brought the value of tables into serious question.

The Snowball Maker

Source: CoolStuff

When having a snowball fight, you want each and every snowball thrown to be perfectly symmetrical. This is obvious, and the reason that the snowball maker was created. Using hands for such things is nothing but foolishness. Clearly, a dedicated tool is required.

There is no information suggesting the creator of this device is now a humble millionaire. If he or she isn’t, there is no justice in the world.

Cookie Dunker Utensil

Source: Dunking Buddy

You’re eating cookies, and drinking milk. Then, like a bolt of lightening an idea strikes. You could dunk the cookie into the milk. If only you had a utensil that could assist in making this epic puzzle a reality. Some sort of cookie dunking utensil, making it possible to get a cookie a little way into the milk, but not too far. Why, oh why, has a utensil not been created that would bring all the factors of this dilemma together, and solve them?

The inventor of the snowball maker probably doesn’t seem that daft now, right?

Lime Wedge Bottle Insertion Tool

Source: WorthPoint

Much of what was said about the cookie dunker utensil can be said for the lime wedge bottle insertion tool. But, what makes the lime wedge inserter superior is that it manages to over complicate to a degree that the dunker utensil could only dream of. It comes complete with a plastic bottle sleeve, which helps prevent the beer from spilling over when the insertion tool is brought into play.

It’s difficult to make jokes about it, really, because at some point the level of utter uselessness stops being funny, and starts making you wonder about the future of the human race. Someone out there put time, thought, and effort into this. At least they can be commended for determination.

Ever get all misty-eyed when you remember what life was like in the 80s and 90s? Well, you can indulge your nostalgia all you like, because some of the best retro gadgets ever are making a comeback.

Tech such as the Nokia 3310, Kodak analogue film cameras, and the NES were among the must-haves of their decades. They were some of the most powerful symbols of a technological revolution that changed the world as we knew it, and are still regarded with a sort of reverence by those who were around to enjoy them.

Thanks to their re-releases, many more can experience what they had to offer, and so much more – if they can cough up the money. Rather than being mere re-issues of now-out-dated gadgetry, they have been updated to reflect where we are today, prices included. If you can’t afford any of it, you can always treat yourself to a few spins of a retro-style 3-reel online slot. Who knows? You may even win enough to afford one of the hot new gadgets that are making their presence felt once again!

A Piece of Mobile Magic

Source: PCMag.com

Launched in 2000 as one of the first Nokia mobile phones without an external aerial, the style and functionality of the 3310 made it an all-time best seller. Everyone simply had to have one.

17 years later, it had a re-vamp and a re-launch. It now boasts a custom-designed interface, a 2.4” curved, polarized screen, a long-lasting battery, a 2MP camera with LED flash, a headphone jack, and an updated version of the beloved game, Snake.

As Seen On TV

Source: The Verge

Kodak by-passed not only the 80s and 90s, but the 70s too, when it opted to re-launch its iconic Super 8 film camera, first released in 1965. The imaging technology giant stated the move was part of an analogue renaissance; something that had, in fact, been spurred on almost a decade ago by the popularity of Lomography film cameras.

The new version of the Super 8 features a 4” swivel LCD viewfinder, C-mount lens support, speed control, digital connectivity, versatile handling, and easy film loading. Films can be processed by mailing them to Kodak. Once developed and scanned, the files will be sent digitally to users’ Darkroom accounts.

Classic Gaming Consoles

Source: Retromagia

Launched first in Japan in 1983 and then in the US in 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES became one of the most sought-after gaming consoles. 7 million had been sold by 1987, and by 1990, it had made its way into 30 per cent of American households. That year also saw the release of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System or SNES, which went on to sell 49.10 million units around the world, until its 2003 retirement.

Realising there is no beating a classic; the company whose name became synonymous with video gaming re-released its classic consoles in 2016. Retaining the distinctive look of the originals, they are now a much handier size, and come with games pre-loaded. The NES boasts 30 titles such as Super Mario Bros and Donkey Kong Jr, while the SNES features 21 games.

Typewriter-Style Keyboards

Source: Por Homme

One of the more unusual pieces of vintage tech to inspire a comeback was the mechanical, typewriter-style keyboard. Thankfully, the designers of Lofree’s Four Seasons Retro Mechanical Keyboard seem to remember just how uncomfortable those clunky old keyboard were, and made sure to design a product that is not only ergonomically-sound, but compatible with Mac as well.

Critics might be tempted to say these companies are re-inventing the wheel. Even if they are, they are making sure to pimp their resultant rides to offer their customers more than before.

If you’re old enough to remember what things were like in the 90s, you’ll attest to the fact that things in general back then were totally radical. The toys were awesome, the TV shows were cool, and don’t even get us started on how way out the gadgets we could get our hands on were.

Time has marched on, and things are considerably less rad these days, but 90s kids will still have the privilege of looking back, and enjoying a bit of post 90’s nostalgia. Let’s take a look at just some of the cool things we miss…

Nintendo

The popularity of the NES and SNES console systems has endured astonishingly, with an abundance of YouTube channels dedicated to the hundreds of games. But once again, it just isn’t like it used to be. It’s sad to think that in another generation or two, the NES will be nothing more than a museum piece. Don’t fret too much though; retro games have made something of a comeback, and there are several new or reworked versions of old favourites available. Plus, if you claim a casino bonus and hit the jackpot you could land up with enough money to buy a retro NES and a stack of games, just for kicks!

Pokémon Cards

There was an era in the 90s where Pokémon dominated just about everything. It’s still popular today, make no mistake, but back then it seemed like you couldn’t walk 5 steps without something Pokémon related hitting in you in the face. The TV show was on daily, snack packets had those little cardboard Tazos in them, and everyone you knew coveted their own collection of cards. And there was always that one kid that seemed to have better cards than you.

Johnny Bravo

Johnny Bravo is perhaps the quintessential 90s cartoon. It’s loud, silly and outrageous, and features a guy with hair that defies gravity. Sure, it’s about a dude who is an insane narcissist and also somehow supposed to be lovable, but damn – if he wasn’t also hysterical. Let’s all just admit it, we miss the days when Johnny Bravo was one of the most popular shows on TV.

VCRs

God bless VCRs, and the giant chunks of plastic you needed to make them work, VHS tapes. The picture quality was awful, the things took an age to rewind, and the remote controls were so bulky you could brain a man with them. How awesome they were.

Source: Pixabay

56k Internet

Remember wanting to download a single 40-megabyte file, and the process lasting until the sun came up, and the birds were tweeting outside? Yes, it was outrageously inconvenient, but boy was it like Christmas every time the file finished, without failing somewhere along the line and needing to be restarted. It taught us appreciation, patience, and humility.

The Discman

Although it first came out in the 1980’s, it was only by the 90s that the Discman made it big. It was portable, played a CD, and was about as cutting edge and radical as could be asked for. Also, if you moved it even a little while playing, the song skipped, stuttered, and the CD was scratched beyond repair. Did we mention – radical!

Rollerblades

Unbelievably, doing things that could potentially result in broken wrists, scarred knees, and missing teeth was the norm back in the 90s. Today, parents would shriek blue murder at the sight of such injury hazards, but the 90s knew that rollerblades were the mark of true fun. The kind that could put you in hospital, or give your hours and hours of fun!

Slang

Finally, the slang. Radical, fresh, word, cool, way out, all that, and righteous. Yes, there’s more, but we just don’t have enough space. Fly, yo, bust a move, boom-shaka-lak. It’s hard to imagine how we said these phrases with a straight face, isn’t it?